Potato-planter.



PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904.

L. A. ASPINWALL POTATO PLANTER.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 28, 1904.

N0 MODEL;

e No. 772,202.

I "UNITED STATES LEWVIS AUGUSTUS ASPINVVALL, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

POTATO-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,202, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed April 28, 1904. Serial No. 205,274- (No modeLl To all] whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS AUeUsrUs AsPIN- WALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Potato-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements upon the potato-planter devices shown and described. in Letters Patent granted to me May 8, 1883, No. 276,994; May 25, 1886, No. M2491, and September 23, 1902, No.

.709,660, with the object of overcoming the difiiculties existing in the earlier devices and providing a more eflicient mechanism.

In my Patents Nos. 276, 994: and 342,491 there were devices assisting in engaging potatoes too large and heavy to be alone held by the prongs upon which they were impaled in the operation of the machine; but these devices were more or less inefficient because of their form and the fact that their pivotal connection was not in the line of their length, which fact caused them to swing away too rapidly and lessened the chances of their holding the large potatoes in place.

In my presentimprovement and in connection with the devices of my Patent No. 709, 660 I employ an extension to the pivoted plate previously used with a disk roller which controls the gravity position of the blade on the upward movement through the concaves, also a thumb-piece or gravity-clamp pivoted in the line of its length and grooved in the part coming next to the extension and the disk roller and preferably on the end. As shown in my former patent, the disk roller serves to prevent toggling of the potatoes while passing up the V-shaped concaves, which causes a miss or failure to plant. When two potatoes of a certain size fall in the concaves, the disk roller turns sufficiently to allow but one to adjust itself properly against the pivoted plate which supports the roller. In the upward movement of the arm carrying these parts the thumbpiece or gravity-clamp hangs toward the pivoted plate in such a position that if. the potato impaled upon the prongs is large it comes against the disk roller in the jaw of the pivoted plate and against the thumb-piece or gravity-clamp, where it is held until the pivoted plate is tripped by the cam-plate and the clamp released. If the potato is small, it is impaled upon and held by the prongs only and when the arm swings over the thumbpiece or gravity-clamp falls away, performing no function.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation representing my improvements and a section through parts of the potato-planter. Fig. 2 is an elevation of an arm carrying the pivoted plate and its extension and the thumb-piece or gravity-clamp of my present improvement and a section of the axle and sleeve of the potato-planter, the same being in larger size. Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 2 except the axle and sleeve and with the thum bpiece or gravity-clamp thrown back, and Fig. 4c is a cross-section at about the center of the gravity-clamp.

(0 represents the frame or a part thereof of a potato-planter; b, the magazine or potatoholder; 0, the slotted concaves; (Z, the axle; e, the sleeve; f, a disk upon the sleeve; g, a cam-plate on the frame.

3 represents bolt-holes in the disk f, and 4 bolts passing through said bolt-holes for securing the arms 7b in position upon the disk f with the forked ends thereof resting against the sleeve 0. The parts herein just described correspond with similar parts and have the .the same through a slot in the plate is, so that the plate It is free to swing with reference to the said parts an extent equal to the length or limits of the slot 8. This slot is shown by dotted lines. The pivoted plate is is provided with a curved extension or projecting portion forming a stop and also a shield for the roller 13, which roller is mounted in the awframe 14: on the advancing end of the plate is.

Prongs 10 are secured to opposite faces on each arm h by rivets 6, the edges of the prongs being situated against the ends of the plates 2'. These prongs where they. project from the edge surface of the frame 7L pass at either side of the extension Zr and roller 13. I provide a thumb-piece or gravity-clamp Z, connected by a pivot-pin 7 to each arm 72, adjacent to the connection of the prongs 10 with said arm it. This gravity-clamp Z is grooved along the edge coming next to the roller 13 and extension k and also grooved in the end thereof. It is free to swing on its pivot 7, and it is to be remarked that the pivot 7 is directly in the line of the gravity clamp-that is, a line drawn substantially centrally and longitudinally through the said clamp will also pass through the pivot 7. Therefore a force exerted against the end of said gravity-clamp is a direct thrust.

In Fig. 1 so much of the potato-planter machine is shown as is necessary to understand the operation of the arms and the parts connected therewith, there being shown in Fig. 1 three full arms only. The uppermost of these arms, as shown in Fig. 1, carries a small potato impaled upon the prongs 10, with the potato coming between the roller 13 and the jaw-frame 1 1. The arm that is substantially horizontal in Fig. 1 is shown as carrying a large-sized potato, in which the potato as im-.

paled upon the prongs 10 comes between the roller 13, the jaw-frame 1 1, and the end of the gravity-clamp Z upon the side opposite to" the jaw-frame, the thrust on said gravityclamp being in the direct line of the pivot, tending to keep the gravity-clamp in position and insure the support of the large-sized potato. No potato is shown on the lowermost of the arms, Fig. 1, because the plate is has been tripped against the cam-plate g and the potato removed from the prongs and delivered, or, in other words, permitted to fall by gravity to the earth.

The arm, Fig. 1, that is shown as substantially horizontal is about to be tripped by its back end coming against the cam-plate g. This will cause a movement of the plate Z: and roller 13 to push the potato ofi the prongs 10. The gravity-clamp will thus be released and will fall until it occupies a vertical position. The gravity-clamp connected to the uppermost arm in Fig. 1 is shown as hanging down against the arm. It will swing with the movement of this arm until it occupies the position shown in connection with the lowermost arm,and as the arm, with the plates and connected portions, goes through the concaves and the hinge-plate k is swung so as to cause a potato to be impaled upon the prongs the gravity-clamp Z will engage the potato if the same be of large size; but if' of small size the potato will not reach to the end of thc thumb-piece or clamp, which will perform its movements by gravity, as heretofore described. The grooved portion of the gravity-- clamp coming next to the extension in of the pivoted plate permits the said gravity-clamp at its end to come into direct contact with the free ends of the prongs 10. so as to take a straight line and positive hold upon potatoes of large size. The grooved end of the gravity-clamp assists in holding the potatoes in place, because thereby it is possible to engage the potato not only at two points, but at each side of an imaginary vertical and central plane through the coacting devices.

I claim as my invention- 1. In apotato-planter, the combination with a revoluble arm, an axle, and means for connecting the same to and supporting the same from the axle, a swinging pivoted plate and means for impaling potatoes, of a gravityclamp pivoted to said arm in the line of its length and adapted to engage potatoes of a large size in such a manner that the thrust upon the gravity-clamp is in a straight line to the pivot. I

2. In a potato-planter, the combination with a revoluble arm, an axle and means for connecting the same to and supporting the same from the axle, a swinging pivoted plate and means for impaling potatoes, of a gravityclamp pivoted to said arm, and grooved at the end, the pivot of the said gravity-clamp to the arm being in the line of its length so that when large-sized potatoes are engaged thereby the thrust is approximately in the line of the arm to the pivot.

3. In a potato-planter, the combination with an axle, a disk mounted thereon and a series of revoluble arms mounted on said disk at the free ends of each of which are spacedapart portions forming a receptacle, of a pivoted plate having an extension and pivotally mounted between the said portions, means for limiting the swinging movement of the said plate, a roller and jaw-frame in which the roller is pivoted, said jaw-frame being mounted on the plate, prongs secured to the end of the-arm and coming at each side of the arm and at opposite faces of the roller, and a gravity-clamp pivoted to said arm and adapted to swing into operative position against the prongs so that when potatoes of large size are engaged the thrust is in the line of the length of said clamp to its pivot.

1. In a potato-planter, the combination with an axle, a disk mounted thereon, and a series of revoluble arms mounted on said disk, a pivoted plate mounted between the said portions, means for limiting the swinging movement of the said plate, a roller and jaw-frame in which the roller is pivoted, prongs secured to the end of the arm and coming at each side of the arm and at opposite faces of the roller, and a gravity-clamp pivoted to said arm and adapted to swing into operative position against the prongs, so that when potatoes of large size are engaged the thrust is in the line of the length of said clamp to its pivot, said gravity-clamp being wider than the width of the arm to which it is pivoted and grooved on its end so as to present two points of bearing contact to the potato. a

5. In a potato-planter, the'combinationwith an axle, a disk mounted thereon, and a series of revoluble arms mounted on said disk, a plate pivotally mounted between the said portions, means for limiting the swinging movement of the said plate, a roller and jaw-frame in which the roller is pivoted, said jaw-frame being mounted on said plate, prongs secured to the end of the arm and coming at each side of the arm and at opposite faces of the roller, and a gravity-clamp pivoted to said arm and adapted to swing into OPBI'ELth'G position against the prongs, so that when potatoes of large size are engaged the thrust is in the line of the length of said clamp to its pivot, the said plate being provided with an extension It" in line with and surrounding the base of the roller, and forming a shield to the roller.

6. In a potato-planter, the combination with an axle, a disk mounted thereon, and a series of revoluble arms mounted on said disk, a plate pivotally mounted between the said portions, means for limiting the swinging movement of said plate, a roller and jaw-frame in which the roller is pivoted, said jaw-frame being mounted on said plate, prongs secured to the end of the arm and coming at each side of the arm and at opposite faces of the roller, and a gravity-clamp pivoted to said arm and adapted to swing into operative position against the prongs, so that when potatoes of large size are engaged the thrust is approximately in the line of the length of said clamp to its pivot, the said plate being provided with an extension k in line with and surrounding the base of the roller and formingashield to the roller, the gravity clamp being of greater width than the arm to which it is pivoted and grooved in its edge coming next to the plate extension so as -to receive the same when in operative position and also grooved on its end so as to provide two points of bearing contact with the potato.

Signed by me this 7th day of April, 1904.-

LEWIS AUGUSTUS ASPINWALL. Witnesses:

W. C. SHANAFELT, .P. P. MOORE. 

